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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

~ Crochet Concupiscence guest post ~

***This is a guest post by Kathryn Vercillo, crochet writer, designer and artist. She blogs about all things crochet at Crochet Concupiscence and can be found on Twitter and Ravelry under the name CrochetBlogger.***

Crochet for Mental Health, Chronic Pain and More

Several years ago my life fell apart in a battle with depression. Crochet helped to pull me out of that mess and back into a rich and full way of living. I came to learn that numerous other people had also healed from depression through crochet. And I then discovered that crochet had helped people with many other mental and physical health problems ranging from anxiety to fibromyalgia. I was so inspired by the crochet health stories that people shared with me that I decided to write a book about the topic. I am continuing to do interviews for this book and plan to have it published in 2012.

Crochet for Mental Health

Crochet provides relief and healing for people suffering from a variety of mental health problems. The act of crochet is a soothing, repetitive act that is similar in many ways to meditation. This provides relief for numerous health conditions such as depression. Crochet provides a form of distraction and focus that reduces racing thoughts, offering a healing option for people suffering from anxiety-related conditions including panic attacks and PTSD. Being able to produce useful products for self and others through crochet helps people to feel productive and this boosts self-esteem, which is helpful for easing the pain of many mental health conditions. Some people find that crochet and talk therapy alone can solve their mental health problems whereas others use crochet in conjunction with medication to keep their brains under control. Either way, crochet is an important part of the process!

Crochet for Physical Health

Mental health problems are not the only type of health issues that can be improved through crochet; a variety of physical health problems are healed through this craft as well. For example, crochet can be used as a way to distract the mind from pain. This is true for people suffering from short-term pain problems like labor pains as well as chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Crochet can be used to enhance physical motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination in both children and adults who require physical therapy for the hands. And crochet is often considered a tool for reducing stress, which in turn can reduce the symptoms of stress-related health conditions like heart conditions.

Share Your Story

Are you reading along with this and nodding, think that you have definitely experienced some type of health benefit since learning to crochet? If so, I’d love for you to share your story with the readers in my book. My book is a practical informative guide to healing through crochet but it’s also a book that shares the touching personal stories of crocheters who have been there and healed through it. If you want to share your story in an email interview, send me a note at createmefree (at) yahoo (dot) com and we’ll set something up!